England's five-point plan for 2015 Cricket World Cup

If England's two series defeats in Australia were made into horror movies, the 4-1 one-day loss probably wouldn't warrant the same X-rated classification as the Ashes whitewash.

But there were still enough stomach-churning moments to leave England supporters watching from behind their sofas.

Just one year before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, England produced a series of a unconvincing displays that provided more questions than answers about their talent and tactics in the 50-over format.

With input from former one-day captain Adam Hollioake, BBC Sport examines the five biggest issues facing England's one-day side before next year's showpiece down under.

When they reflect on the tour, the England management team will need to decide whether the teams' interests are best served by keeping Cook in charge of both formats, or whether the one-day team would benefit from a fresh approach under the leadership of either Stuart Broad or Eoin Morgan.

Broad will get a chance to stake his claim when he captains the side in Cook's absence for the West Indies tour in February and March.

"Everyone is asking Cook what he wants to do but sometimes these decisions are best taken out of the individual's hands," says Hollioake, who formed part of England's first split captaincy in the 1990s when Michael Atherton was in charge of the Test side.

"Cook is a fine player and a great human being, but the number one thing about being captain is to make sure your own game is in order.

"They've got to make their mind up based on whether they think he can get his game back. To me, a great opening batsman is far more important than a captain.

"If they are going to change it, do it now and let's move on and build for the future. If not, let's stop the speculation and get on with it."

Kevin Pietersen has only played for Ashley Giles' ODI team four times in the past 12 months

Prioritise one-day cricket

When England decided to take the unprecedented step of having separate coaches for their Test and limited-overs sides, it was billed as an opportunity to offer greater focus and direction to the one-day team.

In some ways, it has done exactly the opposite, merely underlining the inflated importance England give to Test cricket at the expense of other formats.

While Andy Flower can pick his Test side from the full buffet, limited-overs coach Ashley Giles is too often asked to feed on scraps as key players are rested from England's one-day commitments.

Analysis

Dirk NannesEx-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

"England are almost back to square one after a horrible loss. That time at the end is pressure cricket, but it should be what everyone dreams of being involved in. They are not times to fear failure, they are times to get your feathers out and win the game, the times you should live for as a cricketer. I don't know if people are crumbling under pressure but if you're a competitor you shouldn't do that in that situation."

Kevin Pietersen has only played four one-day internationals in the past 12 months, and James Anderson has not featured since the Champions Trophy final in June after being rested following both Ashes series.

The Australians favour a different approach, waiting until the home one-day series was won before giving key men such as captain Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin a breather.

"For as long as I can remember, England have chopped and changed their side right up until major tournaments and that's no way to go about winning the World Cup," says Hollioake. "They've got a year to go, they need to get their head down, pick a side and stick with it.

"For me, every time you get picked for your country it should be an event. I can't remember anyone coming to me and asking if I needed a rest. If you are playing for your country you want to get out there."

Start from the top

England's batting tactics in Australia were based around the principle of laying a solid platform at the top of the order to allow their middle order dashers to provide the acceleration.

It is a strategy that paid off as England reached the final of the Champions Trophy on home soil in 2013, but looked old-fashioned on the faster, bouncier pitches in Australia where there is more potential for the openers to get on top of the new ball.

While Cook and Ian Bell consistently made starts, Australia's Aaron Finch showed just how effective a destructive opener can be in this form of the game with his blistering centuries in Melbourne and Perth.

If and when Pietersen is brought back into the fold, the temptation to restore him to the top of the order will be strong.

"Every team would love to have an opener who can smash it for six, but if they are not used to doing it against the new ball, you are just gifting a wicket away," says Hollioake.

"Wherever he bats, Pietersen is always crucial. He is the guy who can do something special and win you the game off his own bat. He just needs to be playing and scoring runs in the lead-up to that World Cup."

Sussex's Chris Jordan rounded off a promising series by striking twice in his final over in Adelaide

Determine the death men

England's disappointing series reached its nadir in
the second one-dayer in Brisbane
when they somehow managed to find a new way to lose a match from a position of total authority.

Australia's victory was founded on an explosive batting display from James Faulkner, but he was given considerable assistance by some dreadful England bowling in the closing stages of the game as Ben Stokes and Tim Bresnan both failed to come up with the variety of deliveries that can suffocate a batsman in a run chase.

Stokes, who was hit for five sixes by Faulkner in the latter stages in Brisbane, improved drastically in the final two matches after stating his desire to be a death bowler, while Sussex's Chris Jordan rounded off a promising series by striking twice in his final over in Adelaide.

"You want to get your death bowlers nailed down now, get them used to doing that job so that come the World Cup they have all that experience under their belt," says Hollioake.

"It's one of the hardest skills in the game because there are so many different shots that batsmen play these days.

"They play ramp shots, sweeps and reverse sweeps, they step back and take it on the half-volley or come out of their crease and hit it on the full.

"You need to follow the batsman whatever he does - if he comes down the wicket, bowl a bit short, if he goes back, get it fuller. It's certainly not a case of just being able to bowl good yorkers - that theory is 20 years old."

Believe in spin

One of the biggest points of contrast between Cook and Clarke in the one-day series was their attitude towards spin bowlers.

Top five series economy rates

3.59
- Xavier Doherty (Australia)

4.52
- Ravi Bopara (England)

4.57
- James Tredwell (Eng)

4.62
- Glenn Maxwell (Aus)

4.86
- Clint McKay (Aus)

*Minimum 20 overs

Over the course of the series, Australian spinners sent down 68 overs to England's 32 and were responsible for the three best economy rates on their team.

Even when off-spinner James Tredwell was selected, Cook never seemed to fully trust him, denying him his full quota of 10 overs in any of his three matches and withdrawing him from the attack in Perth after a single five-over spell.

Between now and their World Cup opener - against Australia on 14 February 2015 - England must surely identify a spinner who can be trusted to rattle through 10 tidy overs in the middle phase of the innings.

"Out here in Australia, you are always looking to the seam bowlers to take the bulk of the wickets but you do need one or two guys who can run in and whizz through a few overs of spin," adds Hollioake.

"This is probably the one area I don't mind England trying a few people out because they don't know who their best spinner is following Graeme Swann's retirement.

"Overall, they are low on confidence at the moment, but if they can get their best players back and start enjoying their cricket again I think they have the ability to do well next year."

Comments

202 busted:Probably a little bit drastic but understandable. I like the idea of getting Collingwood involved though if it can be done. Not as the top man in either form but as the number 2 to both Flowers and the King of Spain, with special responsibility to cut the backroom staff in half.

England have more than enough talented batsmen to do very well in both the 50 and 20 over games, even if KP doesn't play. The bowling is a different matter, we need another wicket taking fast bowler to open the bowling and a clever spinner who can slow down the scoring rate mid innings. Most of all we need the right tactics. Take today, Broad should have opened the bowling, no question.

For me Kieswetter has been badly treated and should be opening the innings for England in both T20 and ODI. He is consistently the best player in English T20 and 40 over format and was discarded after a temporary loss of form after he had been the MVP at our T20 world cup win. He provides that dominant player that can go after the new ball that we lack.

@217 Bell is only 31: he could easily continue for another 5/6 years at the highest level. Having said that, I wouldn't want him as captain: I think we need someone with personality & charisma (but, like you, I can't identify an obvious candidate.. other than Stuart Broad if he can encourage his team mates more, rather than getting angry & berating them in public when things go wrong).

I don't think the England ODI team needs too much tinkering. It's important to remember that our best batsman and bowler were rested for the ODIs in Australia. At this moment in time I think England's best ODI team is:

Bresnan is not a T20 player, the Champions Trophy final proved that. Instead we should be selecting an additional batsmen who can score quickly, and bowl if needed.Examples would be Hamilton Brown, James Vince or Graham Napier.

206. ReneIf Cook is going to open then Bell can't. Sure move Bell down to 4, 5 or 6 dependent up the wicket. It's crazy we go into ODIs in Aus with 2 openers who cant score at run a ball consistently. Giles needs to show some flexibility in his approach to ODIs. Look at NZ - not great players but in McCullum they have a skipper who can think on his feet & adapt to each occasion with team ethic.

England is in a stage of a much needed restructure, hats off to Cook he has been a solid performer. However time for a fresh opening pair....Alex Hales is the best T20 opener we have and is still learning why not upgrade him. Put him with either Adam Lyth or Varun Chopra with him for me. KP is still the best player we have. Ballance and butler need to be in and for me mills and Rashid do also

Apologies in advance but this is the only place to comment it seems.NZ and India have been engaged in a pretty enthralling ODI series(314 run draw anyone?) but there has been bu99er all coverage. Appreciate that it's not England, but there are enough Kiwis and Indians in the Uk to (maybe) justify at least something?Beyond that it adds something to the debate about the Top 3 hive off - NZ won.

Groucho, 205While Cook is ODI captain, no other openers will get a look in. In my view, Moeen should be given a go in the test side, let alone ODIs. If Cook wasn't ODI captain, then he wouldn't be in the squad- so he shouldn't be there. Broad could take over the captaincy a year before the world cup. Start to build a new side around a new man.

Forget Cook & Bell at the top of the order - get players in who are willing to take risks & not worry about their average. Why was Carberry on tour if not to play in the ODIs? Where was Moen Ali - a batsmen who can bowl decent spin? Why was Buttler down the batting order? We need variation in tactics, Giles is so blinkered.

Perhaps a little time out will give everyone a chance to think clearly the way forward for the Mens team. It was very dis-heartening but all is not lost. Please, please may I just say 'Congratulations to the England Womens Team for Retaining the Ashes'.

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